Written by North-Central and Eastern Field Representative, Morgan Marks, with edits by Peter Metcalf, Executive Director of Glacier Two Medicine Alliance.
We wanted to make sure you saw the news about the recent federal court decision reinstating the last oil and gas lease in the Badger-Two Medicine portion of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. This long-contested lease, owned by Solenex LLC of Louisiana, had originally been canceled in 2016 when the Department of Interior determined its development would have unacceptable impacts on the outstanding wildlife habitat and Blackfeet cultural values and uses of the area. Solenex challenged this decision and initially prevailed, only to be overturned in Circuit Court in 2020. The case was remanded to the lower court and this month that court again reinstated the lease. In his Sept. 9 opinion, Judge Richard Leon determined the lease had been properly issued back in 1982 and therefore could not be subject to cancellation.
For decades various conservation groups – including at different stages the Montana Wildlife Federation and the National Wildlife Federation – and the Blackfeet Nation have fought to prevent oil and gas development in the Badger-Two Medicine. These efforts have led to the voluntary retirement of 46 of the original 47 leases issued in the early 1980s without any development whatsoever occurring. The conservation and tribal groups involved in the current litigation – which does not include Montana Wildlife Federation – have vowed to fight on until the Solenex lease is likewise eliminated.
We’re sharing this news because Montana Wildlife Federation believes in informing our supporters and members about such issues because it is paramount for us to keep our wild places just that – wild, and to keep a strong focus on attacks occurring throughout the state impacting public access and our public lands. Montana Wildlife Federation has been a part of a coalition of diverse organizations and community members working together to protect the Badger-Two Medicine, all with different missions and different values, but each intentionally coming together to stay informed and work to advocate for this ecologically and culturally important landscape. The Badger-Two Medicine is far too critical for wildlife habitat, migration, and connectivity and to allow drilling to ever take place.
Coverage has been extensive, including articles shared from Montana Public Radio, Hungry Horse News, and Earthjustice.
The landscape is sacred to the Blackfeet Nation and has long been a space for hunting, gathering plants, and holding ceremonies. The Badger-Two-Medicine is the homeland of the Pikuni (Blackfeet) and Ktunaxa ɁamakɁis (Kootenai). Snowmelt flows from mountain peaks which provides drinking water to the reservation and communities further east. The landscape is home to outstanding wildlife habitat that includes meadows and forests along with many incredible opportunities for recreation and getting outdoors, including hunting and fishing.
MWF believes the landscape must not only be protected for recreation and wildlife habitat but that it is also paramount to recognize the importance of this place for wildlife migration and connectivity. Many species of wildlife rely on the Badger-Two Medicine as a migration corridor between Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, including elk and Grizzly bears.
In the Hungry Horse News article, Peter Metcalf, the Executive Director of Glacier Two Medicine Alliance, was quoted as stating: “We have had to overcome many setbacks throughout this nearly forty-year effort to prevent irresponsible energy development from these ecologically and culturally vital lands. Yet despite the immense obstacles, we’ve managed to prevent any development and retire 46 other leases. The narrative is clearly trending toward protecting the Badger-Two Medicine and I’m confident we will ultimately eliminate this final lease too.”
MWF is in full support of our partner organizations who have funded, advocated for, and been involved in the lawsuit against reinstating the Solenex LLC oil and gas lease, each of which has worked hard for decades to remove all oil and gas leases in the Badger-Two-Medicine. MWF wants to see a Badger-Two-Medicine with zero oil and gas leases and we will continue to advocate and be a part of the coalition working to make this vision a reality.
Please check out our partner’s websites for more information, sign up for their newsletters, and sign up for MWF’s newsletter to stay up to date on news, volunteer opportunities, and work in the Badger-Two-Medicine.
The featured photo above was taken by Peter Metcalf/Glacier-Two Medicine Alliance. A backpacker looks over the Solenex lease site in the Badger-Two Medicine area with Glacier National Park in the background. The proposed energy development in this area of Blackfeet sacred land threatens vital wildlife habitat and connectivity, clean water, Blackfeet archaeological sites and cultural practices, and the outdoor heritage and way of life important to our local communities.
